Rep. Steve Stivers this week paid tribute to a Pickerington doctor who was gunned down in Pakistan last month.

Rep. Steve Stivers this week paid tribute to a Pickerington doctor who was gunned down in Pakistan last month.

Dr. Mehdi Ali Qamar, a cardiologist who was volunteering his time in Pakistan was gunned down and killed in front of his wife and two-year-old son on May 26, said Stivers, R-Upper Arlington. Qamar was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect, a peaceful, reformist sect. Stivers said it's believed he may have been targeted because of his faith.

In a one-minute speech on the House floor, Stivers offered his condolences, but also called on the U.S. State Department to initiate a formal investigation into the killing of Dr. Qamar, and called for the government of Pakistan to investigate the murder and to condemn it. He urged his colleagues to sign a letter to the State Department investigating the murder.

"It's important to bring Dr. Qamar's murderers to justice and ensure the government of Pakistan protect its religious minorities," he said.

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